Interior 1972

Here is Artschwager’s Interior, residing at MoMA, New York. It's like looking at a fuzzy photograph of a very grand room, split in two—a double vision of fancy chairs, patterned rugs, and ornate décor, all rendered in shades of grey with faint honeyed highlights. I imagine Artschwager hovering over the surface, applying these curious grainy textures, probably with some industrial process, maybe even a kind of printing technique. It feels like he's trying to capture the essence of bourgeois interiors. I sympathize with Artschwager's project; this blurring of boundaries, between high and low, between art and design. He was playing with perception, questioning what we consider "art" and how we experience it. It reminds me a little of what Gerhard Richter was doing at the same time, except he wasn't interested in doilies, but was painting photographic source images, often using blurred focus. Ultimately, both artists ask us to consider how we look, and what we think we see.